Automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle

ABSTRACT

A method of automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle includes the following steps: (a) establishing a reminder message and defining playback instructions for playing the reminder message; (b) generating a trigger based on the defined playback instructions; (c) setting the trigger; (d) monitoring for the occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy the trigger; and (e) determining that the one or more conditions have occurred and, if so, then; (f) accessing the reminder message associated with the trigger; and (g) communicating the reminder message.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to vehicle telematics systems and, moreparticularly, to communication of messages within a vehicle telematicssystem.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years, vehicle telematics systems have grown in popularity andare increasingly available in all types of vehicles. In general, vehicletelematics systems use a combination of various wireless voice and datatelecommunications technologies to communicate between vehicles and datacenters. Such communication enables a wide variety of services to beprovided to subscribers of telematics services, including vehiclenavigation, maintenance, diagnostics, advertising, emergency services,and messaging.

For example, pre-recorded messages can be broadcast by satellite to anentire fleet of vehicles to notify vehicle occupants of generalizedinformation such as advertisements. But broadcast messages are notpersonalized in that they are not specifically tailored to anyparticular subscriber or occupant of a subscriber's vehicle. In anotherexample, a human customer service representative can generate aparticular message and transmit it to a telematics subscriber's vehicleby telephony. But generation and delivery of messages by a customerservice representative may not always be cost effective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of automatically communicating reminder messages to atelematics-equipped vehicle, comprising the steps of:

-   -   (a) establishing a reminder message and defining playback        instructions for playing the reminder message;    -   (b) generating a trigger based on the defined playback        instructions;    -   (c) setting the trigger;    -   (d) monitoring for an occurrence of one or more conditions that        satisfy the trigger; and    -   (e) determining whether the one or more conditions have occurred        and, if so, then:    -   (f) accessing the reminder message associated with the trigger;        and    -   (g) communicating the reminder message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein likedesignations denote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an example of a telematics systemthat can be used automatic communication of reminder messages to atelematics-equipped vehicle; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of an exemplary method ofautomatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equippedvehicle that can be performed using the telematics system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary operating environment is illustrated in FIG. 1, and can beused to implement the method shown in FIG. 2 and discussed below. Themethod can be particularly useful for automatically providing remindermessages in a telematics-equipped vehicle. The method can be carried outusing any suitable telematics system. Preferably, however, the method iscarried out in conjunction with a vehicle telematics system such assystem 100. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the overallarchitecture, as well as the individual elements of a system such as thesystem 100 shown here, are generally known in the art.

The system 100 can include a motor vehicle 102 carrying one or moreoccupants or users, a wireless communication system 104 for wirelesslycommunicating with the vehicle 102 and a second communications system106 that, in turn, communicates with a call center 108 that providesservices to the vehicle 102 by processing and storing data andcommunicating with the vehicle 102. Additionally, the telematics system100 can also include a web server 109 in communication with the vehicle102 and call center 108 for providing Internet services thereto, and apersonal communication device 111 in communication with the vehicle 102.

The exemplary telematics system 100 generally facilitates one or moreservices to the occupant(s) of the vehicle 102, including vehiclenavigation, turn-by-turn driving directions, telephony includingautomated audio interaction with vehicle occupants, emergency services,vehicle diagnostics, vehicle system updates, and automated speechrecognition. For this purpose the telematics system 100 processes dataand instructions as well as facilitates wireless voice and data transferbetween hardware located on the vehicle 102 and hardware in the remotecall center 108. For example, the telematics system 100 enables vehicleoccupants to initiate voice communication, for example, with the callcenter 108 or the personal communication device 111. Also, thetelematics system 100 enables electronic communication between thevehicle 102 and the web server 109 for various purposes such astransmitting and/or receiving data such as updated voice messages,email, news, or the like.

Motor Vehicle

The motor vehicle 102 is depicted in the illustrated embodiment as apassenger vehicle, and it will be appreciated that any other vehiclesincluding motorcycles, marine vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles,and other automobiles such as vans, trucks, etc., can be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Various electronic modulescan be located on the vehicle 102 and include one or more vehiclesub-systems or vehicle system modules (VSMs) 110, an on-board vehiclecommunication bus 112, and one or more vehicle telematics units 114connected by the bus 112 to the VSMs 110.

VSMs

The VSMs 110 facilitate suitable on-board functions such as vehiclediagnostics, monitoring, control, reporting, and/or other functions. Forexample, the VSMs 110 can be used for controlling engine operation,monitoring and deploying air bags or other safety devices, and/ordiagnosing vehicle systems via various vehicle sensors. The VSMs 110broadly represent any subsystems and/or components throughout thevehicle with which the telematics unit 114 interacts. In a specificexample, if the call center 108 sends a signal to the vehicle 102 tounlock the vehicle doors, then the telematics unit 114 instructs a doorlock VSM to unlock the doors.

Vehicle Communication Bus

The vehicle communication bus 112 facilitates interactions among thevarious vehicle systems such as the VSMs 110 and the telematics unit 114and uses any suitable network communication configuration whether wiredor wireless. A few examples include a Controller Area Network (CAN),Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), Local Interconnect Network(LIN), Ethernet (10baseT, 100baseT), Local Area Network (LAN), ISOStandard 9141, ISO Standard 11898 for high-speed applications, ISOStandard 11519 for lower speed applications, SAE Standard J1850 forhigh-speed and lower speed applications, and/or a wireless area network.

Vehicle Telematics Unit

The vehicle telematics unit 114 facilitates communication andinteractivity between the vehicle 102 or occupants thereof, and variousremote locations including the call center 108, web server 109, and/orand personal communication device 111. The telematics unit 114interfaces with the various VSM's 110 via the vehicle communication bus112. The telematics unit 114 can be implemented in any suitableconfiguration and preferably includes a processor 116, a communicationsdevice 118 for wireless communication to and from the vehicle 102 viaone or more antennas 120, a memory 122 to store programs 124 and/or oneor more databases 126, and a user interface 128. The telematics unit 114also includes any suitable device for intercommunicating theaforementioned devices.

The communications device 118 may include any suitable technology(ies)including a satellite receiver, a cellular chipset for voicecommunications, a modem for data communications, etc. Also, thoseskilled in the art recognized that the modem can transmit and receivedata over a voice channel by applying some type of encoding ormodulation to convert digital data for communication through a vocoderor speech codec incorporated in a cellular chipset. Any suitableencoding or modulation technique that provides an acceptable data rateand bit error rate can be used. For a more complete discussion of anexample of data transmission over a voice channel, please refer to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/163,579 filed Oct. 24, 2005, which isassigned to the present assignee and is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

Telematics Processor

The telematics processor 116 is implemented in any of various ways knownto those skilled in the art, such as in the form of a controller,microprocessor, microcontroller, host processor, vehicle communicationsprocessor, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or as anyother appropriate processor type. Alternatively, the processor 116 canwork in conjunction with a central processing unit (not shown)performing the function of a general purpose computer. The processor 116can be associated with other suitable devices (not shown) such as a realtime clock to provide accurate date and time information. The processor116 executes the one or more computer programs 124 stored in memory 122,such as to carry out various functions of monitoring and processing dataand communicating the telematics unit 114 with the VSM's 110, vehicleoccupants, and remote locations. For example, the processor 116 canexecute one or more control programs and processes trigger and/ormessage programs and/or data to carry out a method of automaticallyproviding reminder messages, either alone or in conjunction with thecall center 108. Further, the processor 116 controls, generates, andaccepts signals transmitted between the telematics unit 114 and callcenter 108 via the communications systems 104, 106, and between thetelematics unit 114 and the vehicle communication bus 112 that isconnected to the various mechanical and/or electronic VSM's 110. In onemode, these signals are used to activate programming and operation modesof the VSM's 110.

Telematics Memory

The telematics memory 122 can be any electronic storage device thatprovides computer-readable storage of data and programs for use by theprocessor 116. The memory 122 can include volatile, and/or non-volatilememory storage, such as RAM, NVRAM, hard disks, flash memory, etc., andcan be implemented as one or more separate physical devices. Theprograms 124 include one or more computer programs that are executed bythe processor 116 to carry out the various functions of the telematicsunit 114. For example, the software or programs 124 resident in thememory 122 and executed by the processor 116 can be used for carryingout a method of automatically providing reminder messages. The database126 can be used to store message data, diagnostic trouble code data orother diagnostic data, vehicle data upload (VDU) records, eventactivation tables, etc. For example, the database 126 can include voiceor test messages, triggers, etc. This database 126 can be implemented asdatabase tables that enable lookups to be performed on data stored inthe database 126, and this can be done using known indexing techniquesand/or database queries, or by straight serial searching through suchtables. These and other database storage and lookup techniques are wellknown to those skilled in the art.

Telematics Communications Device

The telematics communications device 118 provides wireless communicationvia cellular, satellite, or other wireless path, and facilitates bothvoice and data communications. For example, the wireless telematicscommunications device 118 and associated antenna 120 transmits andreceives voice and data to and from the wireless communication system104 so that the telematics unit 114 can communicate with the call center108 via the second communication system 106. Accordingly, the wirelesscommunications device 118 is preferably equipped with cellularcommunications software and hardware such as a wireless modem orembedded cellular telephone, which can be analog, digital, dual mode,dual band, multi mode, and/or multi-band, and can include a separateprocessor and memory. Also, the wireless communications device 118preferably uses cellular technology such as Advanced Mobile Phone System(AMPS), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multipleaccess (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), etc. butcould also utilize proprietary or other wireless technologies tocommunicate with the wireless communication system 104.

The communications device 118 can also include global positioning system(GPS) communication and signal processing software and equipment, whichcan be separate from or integrated with the communications device 118.For example, such a GPS receiver receives location and time data fromthe wireless communication system 104 and conveys corresponding latitudeand longitude information to the telematics unit 114 to enable thetelematics unit 114 to process, store, and send location information tocarry out services such as navigation, driving directions, and emergencyservices.

The communications device 118 can further include satellitecommunications signal processing software and equipment, which can beseparate from or integrated with the communications device 118. Thesatellite communications module receives satellite radio broadcastsignals from, for example, a geostationary satellite. The satelliteradio module may receive broadcast radio information over one or morechannels and generate an audio output or provide data communicationsfrom a satellite service provider. In addition to music andentertainment, traffic information, road construction information,advertisements, news and information on local events, satellitebroadcasts may include messages. Satellite radio broadcast signalsreceived by the satellite radio receiver can be monitored for signalswith targeted information, and when the targeted information isdetected, the targeted message and associated information can beextracted from the broadcast signal.

Telematics User Interface

The telematics user interface 128 includes one or more input and outputmodules and/or devices to receive input from, and transmit output to, avehicle occupant. As used herein, the term interface broadly means anysuitable form of electronic device or adapter, or even a software moduleor adapter, which enables a user or a piece of equipment to communicatewith or control another piece of equipment. The interface describedherein can be a single interface or can be implemented as separateinterfaces or any combination thereof.

The input devices include one or more of the following devices: one ormore tactile devices 130 such as one or more pushbutton switches,keypads, or keyboards; one or more microphones 132; or any other type ofinput device. The tactile input device 130 enables user-activation ofone or more functions of the telematics unit 114 and can include apushbutton switch, keypad, keyboard, or other suitable input devicelocated within the vehicle in reach of the vehicle occupants. Forexample, the tactile input device 130 can be used to initiatetelecommunications with remote locations, such as the call center 108 orcellular telephones and/or to initiate vehicle updates, diagnostics, orthe like. The microphone 132 allows vehicle occupants to provide voicecommands or other verbal input into the telematics unit 114, as well asvoice communication with various remote locations via the communicationsdevice 122. Voice commands from the vehicle occupants can be interpretedusing a suitable analog-to-digital interface or digital signal processorsuch as a sound card (not shown) between the microphone 132 and theprocessor 116 and voice recognition programs and data stored within thememory 122.

The output devices can include one or more speakers 134, a visualdisplay device such as a liquid crystal or plasma screen (not shown), orany other types of output devices. The speaker(s) 134 enable thetelematics unit 114 to communicate with the vehicle occupants throughaudible speech, signals, or audio files, and can be stand-alone speakersspecifically dedicated for use with the telematics unit 114, or they canbe part of a vehicle audio system. A suitable interface device such as asound card (not shown) can be interposed between the speakers 134 andthe telematics processor 116.

Although depicted in FIG. 1 as separate individual modules, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that many of the components ofthe telematics unit 114 can be integrated together, or integrated and/orshared with other vehicle systems. For example, the memory 122 can beincorporated into the processor 116 or located outside of telematicsunit 114 and shared with one or more other vehicle systems such as avehicle central processing unit. Although the VSM's 110 are shownseparate from the telematics unit 114, it is possible for anycombination of these VSM's 110 to be integrated within the telematicsunit 114. Furthermore, the telematics unit 114 could include additionalcomponents not shown here, or could omit some of the components shownhere.

Communication System(s)

The wireless communication system 104 can include an analog or digitalcellular network 136, a wireless computer network such as a wide areanetwork (not shown), wireless local area network, broadband wirelessnetwork, or any other suitable wireless network used to transmit voiceand/or data signals between the vehicle 102 and various remote locationssuch as the call center 108 and/or personal communication device 111. Inone embodiment, the cellular network 136 is implemented as a CDMA, GSM,or other cellular communication network that enables exchange of voiceand data between the vehicle 102 and the second communication system106.

Additionally or alternatively, wireless communication can be carried outby satellite transmission using one or more satellites 138 to connectthe vehicle 102 to the second communication system 106 via a central,ground-based satellite transceiver 140. As an exemplary implementation,the satellite transceiver 140 and satellite(s) 138 can transmit radiosignals to the vehicle 102. As one example, a satellite transmission canbe broadcast over a spectrum in the “S” band that has been allocated bythe U.S. Federal Communication Commission for national broadcasting ofsatellite-based Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). More specifically,satellite transmission can be carried out using XM™ brand satelliteradio services.

The second communication system 106 can be another wirelesscommunication system or can be a land-based wired system such as apublic switched telephone network (PTSN), Internet Protocol (IP)network, optical network, fiber network, cable network, utility powertransmission lines, and/or any combination of the aforementionedexamples, any of which can be used for voice and/or data communication.Those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication systems104, 106 can be implemented separately or can be combined as an integralsystem.

Call Center

The call center 108 can be a data center, and can include one or morelocations and can be automated and/or staffed by advisors 142 to handlecalls from vehicle occupants and/or to monitor various vehicleconditions such as an airbag deployment. The call center 108 includesone or more voice and/or data interfaces 144 such as modems, switches,and/or routers, to transmit and receive voice and/or data signals byvehicle data uploads (VDU) between the vehicle telematics unit 114 andthe call center 108 through the communications systems 104, 106. Thecall center 108 also includes one or more communication service managers146, one or more servers 148 to process data, one or more suitabledatabases 150 to store subscriber data and any other suitable data, andone or more networks 152 such as a LAN for connecting the call centercomponents together along with the any computer(s) used by the one ormore advisors 142. For example, the servers 148 and databases 150execute and store one or more control programs and trigger and/ormessage data to carry out a method of automatically providing remindermessages, either alone or in conjunction with the telematics unit 114 ofthe vehicle 102. Suitable call center facilities are known and currentlyin use to provide remote assistance by human advisors in connection within-vehicle safety and security systems. Apart from using human advisors,the advisors 142 can be implemented as automatons or programs running ona computer operatively disposed to respond to subscriber requests.

Web Server

The integration of the web server 109 with the system 100 enablesvehicle occupants to access websites and other content over the Internetfrom the vehicle using automated speech recognition technology andtext-to-voice technology such as VoiceXML, or the like. For example,vehicle occupants can use the telematics unit 114 and embedded speechrecognition to ask for information, such as by vocalizing a command like“weather” or by speaking a nametag associated with a particular websiteaddress. The speech recognition technology recognizes the command ornametag and translates the request into suitable web language such asXML (Extensible Markup Language) and/or associate the request with astored user profile, which correlates the request to a specific website.The web server 109 interprets the request, accesses and retrievessuitable information from the website according to the request, andtranslates the information into VoiceXML and then transmits acorresponding voice data file to the vehicle 102 where it is processedthrough the telematics unit 114 and output to the occupants via the userinterface 128.

The web server 109 is implemented using one or more computer serverslocated either at an independent remote location or, for example, at thecall center 108. If desired, the web server 109 can be integrated intothe call center 108 rather than utilizing two separate systems. Theexemplary server 109 includes a suitable communication interface 154such as a modem, switch, and/or router, a computer 156, and a database158 all connected by a suitable network 160 such as an Ethernet LAN. Thedatabase 158 can be implemented using a separate network attachedstorage (NAS) device or can be stored on the computer 156 itself, or canbe located elsewhere, as desired. The computer 156 has a serverapplication program that controls the exchange of data between thevehicle 102 and the database 158 via the communication systems 104, 106.The web server 109 also communicates with the call center 108 and/or thepersonal communication device 111 either via the second communicationsystem 106 or by some more direct path. Suitable server hardware andsoftware configurations are known to those skilled in the art.

Customer Device

The personal communication device 111 can be a landline telephone,wireless telephone or computer, internet-connected personal computer, orother devices. Accordingly, customers can access the call center 108and/or web server 109, for example, to speak with a call center advisorand/or to access their telematics subscription or account website.

Method of Automatically Providing Reminder Messages

Referring now to FIG. 2, a method 200 of automatically communicatingreminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle is provided hereinand can be carried out as one or more computer programs within theoperating environment of the telematics system 100 described above. Morespecifically, the method 200 can be carried out using either or both ofthe vehicle telematics unit 114 and call center 108, and using thecommunications system 104, 106. Those skilled in the art will alsorecognize that the method can be carried out using other systems withinother operating environments. Moreover, the method 200 can be carriedout in accordance with other related methods including those disclosedin co-pending applications U.S. Ser. No. 11/426,982, filed Jun. 28,2006, and U.S. Ser. No. 11/426,829, filed Jun. 27, 2006, and assigned tothe assignee hereof and incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

In general, the method 200 is provided to automatically communicatereminder messages in a vehicle based on an occurrence of a specificcondition, which can be identified by a customer or message sender as aplayback instruction or can be associated in some way with a telematicssubscription for that vehicle. In other words, reminder messages can beautomatically provided to the vehicle in response to some relevant,monitored event, and are subscriber-specific or personalized because themessages are intended for and tailored to some individual subscriberand/or vehicle occupant(s). Accordingly, in contrast to generalinformation that is broadcast to multitudes of vehicles for generalconsumption, personalized reminder messages can be communicated to aparticular vehicle, as will be further detailed below.

A telematics subscription can include a subscription agreement andexpiration date, but can also encompass a subscriber, the subscriber'svehicle, and/or any other subscriber-related information. Accordingly,exemplary subscription-specific conditions can include one or more ofthe following items: achievement of a certain vehicle mileage via anodometer reading, expiration of a time period associated with thesubscription, occurrence of a timestamp, arriving to or leaving from acertain geographical location or region, reaching a certain number ofengine ignition cycles, etc. Any other suitable conditions can also beused in the method 200.

In step 205, reminder messages are established. A reminder message canbe a communication of personalized information in audible, textual, orother suitable form. The reminder message can be communicated within avehicle using audio and/or text messages that can be loaded to thevehicle in any suitable manner. Reminder messages can be established bya customer or message sender, who can be anyone or any entity whodesires to play a reminder message in a subscriber vehicle and who hasauthorization to send the reminder message. Any reminder messages can beused, including the following exemplary messages: “remember to buy lightbulbs,” “pick up medication at pharmacy,” “pick up dry cleaning,” or“make sure coffee pot is off.” Other reminder messages can also includepredefined or template messages, which are pre-recorded or otherwisecreated by a service provider. In this case, a customer or other messagesender can select from among a plurality of different predefinedreminder messages.

The message sender can establish the reminder message to be sent usingany suitable means, including using the Internet, a telematics equippedvehicle, a telephone, or the like. In one example, the reminder messagesender can access a telematics services website via a computing devicelinked to the telematics system, such as to the call center and/or webserver. The computing device can be linked to the telematics system inany suitable manner such as by the Internet, by wireless connection, orthe like. The telematics services website can include a webpage where amessage sender can create or otherwise establish a reminder message fora receiver. The message receiver can be a telematics service subscriber,a subscriber's vehicle, an occupant of a subscriber's vehicle, or thelike. The reminder message can be manually entered by typing it (e.g.,for subsequent text-to-speech conversion), vocalizing it, or attaching amessage file to a webpage transmission, or the like.

In another example, the message sender can create or otherwise establishthe message in a subscriber's vehicle using, for example, a vehicle'stelematics system. In general, the message sender can use a vehicletelematics user interface to establish the message and define playbackinstructions. More specifically, the message sender can use thetelematics microphone to record a voice message, and can use thetelematics tactile device or the microphone to define playbackinstructions. The message and the instructions can be stored in vehiclememory or in memory at the call center. The vehicle that is used toestablish the message can be the vehicle in which the message is to beplayed, or can be any other vehicle that subscribes to the telematicsservices of the telematics system. The reminder message can be manuallyentered by typing it such as for text-to-speech conversion, or byvocalizing it into a speech recognition system.

In still another example, the message sender can establish the messageusing a telephone. More specifically, the message sender can call a liveadvisor or an automated messaging service at the call center, whereinmessages can be created by speaking words, or using an audio menu andtouch tone telephone input.

No matter how the message is established or from where, it can bemanifested in the form of a computer file and can be stored in memory ona telematics vehicle or telematics call center or the like. For example,the message can be saved as a voice message in acoustic data format suchas a *.wav file, or a text message or text-to-voice message such as aVoiceXML file, or any other suitable format.

In step 210, a message sender can define playback instructions accordingto which a reminder message is to be played in a vehicle. Exemplaryplayback instructions can include time-related instructions such asdates, times, and/or vehicle ignition events. Another exemplary playbackinstruction can include geographical instructions. Exemplarygeographical instructions can include arrival of a telematics equippedvehicle to a geographical location or region, or departure from ageographical location or region, or the like.

The message sender can define the instructions using any suitable means,including using the Internet, a telematics equipped vehicle, atelephone, or the like, as previously described with respect to step205. No matter how the instructions are created or from where, they canbe manifested in the form of a computer file and can be stored in memoryon a telematics vehicle or telematics call center or the like. Forexample, the instructions can be stored as an individual computer file,or as data included in a computer file for the message, or the like. Indefining the instructions, the message sender can define a date and timefor the reminder message to be played, and/or precisely when thereminder message should be played such as upon vehicle ignition on thedefined date, or the like.

Once the reminder message is established and playback instructionsdefined, the reminder message and instructions can be sent to the callcenter and/or web server in implementations where the message andinstructions are not established and defined using the telematicsinterface of the vehicle. For example, the message and instructions canbe sent automatically once the message and playback instructions arecomplete, or can be sent after the message sender manually confirms,such as with a click of a send button of a webpage, or the like.

In step 215, at the web server and/or call center, the message and itsplayback instructions can be received and associated with a particularvehicle of a given subscription, a particular subscriber, a particularuser associated with a subscription, or the like. This can be done, forexample, using a database lookup where the playback instructionscommunicated from the message sender is used as input to look up andreturn the vehicle(s), subscriber, user, or the like associated withthose instructions.

In step 220, triggers are generated. More specifically, one or moretriggers are generated for monitoring conditions corresponding to theplayback instructions. In other words, conditions can be tracked usingtriggers that can be loaded to the vehicle, and a trigger includes oneor more pre-defined conditions that correspond to the playbackinstructions and, when met, enable initiation of some further action.There can be many different types of triggers; exemplary triggersgenerally include time-related triggers such as dates, times, elapsedtime, vehicle ignition events and/or geographical triggers. Exemplarygeographical triggers can include arrival of a telematics equippedvehicle to a geographical location or region, or departure from ageographical location or region, or the like. Other triggers cangenerally include vehicle mileage triggers, engine ignition cycletriggers, diagnostic trouble code triggers, global positioning triggersto name just a few. Those skilled in the art will recognize that atrigger can be defined for just about any playback instructions.

A trigger can be manifested in the form of a computer file, such as acomputer program file or a portion thereof like an algorithm, pseudocode or conditional logic, or in the form of a computer data file foruse by another program. Use of triggers can be facilitated by knownvehicle data upload (VDU) techniques. Exemplary VDU techniques aredescribed in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2004/0259524,2004/0054444, and 2004/0203696, which are all assigned to the presentassignee and hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

In step 225, a trigger and/or associated reminder message can be loadedto a telematics-equipped vehicle. Triggers and reminder messages can beloaded to the vehicle from the call center in any suitable fashionincluding using the communications system. The triggers and remindermessages can be loaded into any appropriate vehicle computing device orthe like, such as the vehicle telematics unit where the triggers andreminder messages can be stored in memory.

In step 230, a trigger can be set. The trigger can be set in anysuitable location such as the call center, or the vehicle. In oneexample, the trigger is automatically set in the vehicle, such as whenit is downloaded in step 225 from the call center to the vehicle. Inanother example, some triggers can be dormant in that they are alreadyloaded on the vehicle and stored in vehicle memory but are not yetactivated. Such triggers can be set by receiving an instruction from thecall center.

In step 235, an occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy atrigger can be monitored. Any of various vehicle systems, such as theVSM's, and related sensors can be used to monitor vehicle conditionscovered by a set trigger. For example, a vehicle clocking device can beused to monitor a date and time signal. That signal can be used inmonitoring for a time-related trigger. In another example, a vehicleodometer signal can be monitored to provide a signal indicative of milestraveled by the vehicle. That signal can be used in monitoring vehiclemileage as it relates to a set trigger such as a 10,000 mile trigger.

Moreover, triggers can be set in the vehicle and all monitoring for theoccurrence of a related event can take place in the vehicle. However, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that at least sometriggers can be monitored at the call center and then a call placed tothe vehicle to obtain the data associated with the trigger. In otherwords, the monitoring can be carried out in any suitable location by anysuitable computing device that processes a trigger computer file, suchas a trigger program file or other suitable program file using a triggerdata file, or using any other suitable arrangement.

In step 240, it is determined whether condition(s) defined by a triggerhave occurred. For example, if a clock signal is received that indicatesthat a certain date or time has occurred, then the trigger can initiatea messaging sequence wherein a reminder message associated with thetrigger is communicated to the vehicle. In one implementation, acomputer program, routine, or algorithm can be executed by a vehiclecomputing device such as the telematics processor and used inconjunction with signals received by suitable vehicle systems and/orsensors to determine if the one or more trigger conditions have beensatisfied. If the condition(s) defined by the trigger have not occurred,then the process loops back to step 235.

If, however, the condition(s) defined by the trigger have occurred, thena reminder messaging sequence is triggered. The messaging sequence caninclude communicating of a reminder message from a call center to avehicle as described with respect to steps 245 through 255 below.Instead, the reminder messaging sequence can include accessing memory ofa vehicle computing device to retrieve a previously stored computer filecontaining the associated reminder message, and processing the computerfile to communicate the reminder message to the vehicle, as indicated bythe dashed line in FIG. 2.

In step 245, a vehicle can communicate with a call center. Morespecifically, the trigger can initiate a communication session betweenthe vehicle and the call center to upload data associated with thetrigger from the vehicle, in response to an affirmative determinationfrom the determining step 240. For example, if the trigger was a datetrigger, then the trigger event data can include any suitable dataindicating that the date has arrived, or simply that the triggercondition was met. The communication or call can be carried out usingthe telematics communication system. This step can be carried out usingVDU protocol or any other suitable data transfer protocol(s).

In step 250, a reminder message associated with uploaded trigger datacan be accessed from memory in a call center. This can be done, forexample, using a lookup table in memory where the particular type oftrigger communicated from the vehicle is used as input to look up andreturn the message associated with that trigger.

In step 255, a reminder message accessed from call center memory can bedownloaded to the vehicle. The reminder message can be downloaded to thevehicle in any suitable fashion, including using any or all of thecommunication system. For example, the call center may use any suitabledata transfer protocol such as short messaging service (SMS), GSM, CDMA,AMPS, etc. In another example, the reminder message can be sent bysatellite transmission using any suitable satellite transmissionprotocol. U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0046649 discloses an example ofmessaging using satellite transmission, and this publication is assignedto the present assignee and is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

In step 260, a reminder message can be communicated so that it is seenand/or heard in the vehicle. For example, a computer file, such as aprogram or data file, containing the reminder message can be executed orotherwise processed by any suitable vehicle processor, such as thetelematics processor. Accordingly, an audio or text message can bepresented to a vehicle occupant. For example, a text message can bepresented on an in-vehicle display such as a computer monitor, GPSnavigation screen, vehicle radio display, driver information display, orany other suitable visual output device. Also, an audio message can bepresented via vehicle radio speakers, telematics speakers, or any othersuitable audible output device. Such audio can be presented using anysuitable in-vehicle voice messaging protocol.

With reference back to FIG. 1, in one particular implementation, eithera computer at call center 108 or the web server 109 itself is used tohost a website that provides at least one web page configured to receivethe reminder message(s) along with the conditions under which it is tobe played (i.e., playback instructions). The message is inputted by theuser as text (e.g., by typing it in) or selected from a predefined listpresented on the web page. Then, the trigger conditions (playbackinstructions) are specified by the user from among predefined types ofconditions or events, such as “at vehicle startup,” “when oil life fallsbelow _,” or “when vehicle speed exceeds _” with the specific valuesbeing specified by the user. Then, a suitable trigger is sent to thevehicle and the reminder message is either supplied to the vehicle atthat time or held at the call center 108 or web server 109 for laterretrieval. Then, when the trigger occurs, the reminder is played orotherwise presented to the occupant(s) at the vehicle. For audiblereminder messages that are entered via the web page as text,text-to-speech conversion is carried out using known techniques, andthis can be done either at the vehicle or at the remote facility suchthat the reminder message downloaded to the vehicle is already in ausable audio format.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not adefinition of the invention itself, but is a description of one or morepreferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is notlimited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather isdefined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statementscontained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodimentsand are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the inventionor on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term orphrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and variouschanges and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments,changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of theappended claims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example” and“such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and theirother verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or morecomponents or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended,meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excludingother, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construedusing their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in acontext that requires a different interpretation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of automatically communicating areminder message at a vehicle, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving auser-established reminder message inputted by the user, and receivingtime-related or geographical playback instructions for playing theuser-established reminder message; (b) generating a trigger based on theplayback instructions; (c) communicating the user-established remindermessage and the generated trigger between a telematics call center and avehicle; (d) setting the trigger; (e) monitoring for occurrence of oneor more conditions that satisfy the trigger; and (f) determining whetherthe one or more conditions have occurred and, if so, then: (g) accessingthe user-established reminder message associated with the trigger; and(h) communicating the user-established reminder message to an occupantin a vehicle.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving stepcomprises receiving the user-established reminder message using at leastone of an Internet web site, a telephone, or a vehicle telematics unit.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprisescreating the user-established reminder message by entering text.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein communicating the user-established remindermessage includes converting the text reminder message to a voice messageand playing the voice message in the vehicle.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving from the user aselection from among a plurality of predefined messages.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein communicating the user-established reminder messageincludes playing a voice message in the vehicle.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein communicating the user-established reminder message includesdisplaying a text message in the vehicle.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the receiving step comprises receiving manually entered textinputted using a computing device.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thereceiving step comprises receiving spoken words using a telephone. 10.An in-vehicle reminder system for automatically communicating a remindermessage at a telematics-equipped vehicle, comprising: a vehicle having atelematics unit; a call center capable of wireless communication withthe vehicle telematics unit via a wireless communication system; and acomputer configured to provide a website having at least one web pagethat enables a user to enter a user-established reminder message andspecify one or more conditions under which the user-established remindermessage will be presented at the vehicle; wherein said call centergenerates a trigger based on the one or more conditions and uploads thetrigger to the vehicle via its telematics unit; and wherein said vehicleis operable upon occurrence of the trigger to access the user-established reminder message and present the user-established remindermessage within the vehicle.
 11. An in-vehicle reminder system as definedin claim 10, wherein said web page is configured to receive theuser-established reminder message as inputted text and wherein, uponoccurrence of the trigger, the user-established reminder message isplayed in the vehicle using text-to-speech conversion of the inputtedtext.
 12. An in-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 11, whereinthe inputted text is supplied to the vehicle and the text-to-speechconversion is carried out at the vehicle.
 13. An in-vehicle remindersystem as defined in claim 10, wherein the web page includes apredefined list of reminder messages for selection by the user.
 14. Anin-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 13, wherein each of thepredefined reminder messages is associated with a pre-recorded messagethat is played back with the trigger occurs.